This article is taken from the monthly magazine Sciences et Avenir n°945, dated November 2025.
After surgical treatment for colorectal cancer, the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Europe, a recurrence occurs in approximately 40% of cases within six years. However, daily aspirin intake reduces this risk by half in individuals whose tumors carry a mutation in the PI3K enzyme gene, reveals a large Swedish study conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institute. In the clinical trial, patients took a moderate dose of the drug (160 mg) or a placebo daily for three years.
This result confirms previous preliminary clinical studies as well as observations made in vitro on colon cancer cells. More than a third of colorectal cancer patients carry this mutation and could therefore benefit from the anti-cancer effect of aspirin to limit the risk of recurrence of their disease.
"Currently, testing for mutations in the PI3K gene alone is not routinely performed on colon adenocarcinomas, but this study could change that." “,” hopes Professor Pierre Michel, gastroenterologist and specialist on the subject at the Rouen University Hospital. This test already exists in the case of hormone-dependent breast cancer, for which treatment blocking the PI3K signaling pathway can be offered if the mutation is detected.
Read alsoWe finally know why aspirin prevents certain cancers from spreading.
A slight reduction in the risk of developing certain cancers
The targeted effect of aspirin could also explain the results of some studies showing that daily intake of low-dose aspirin slightly reduces the risk of developing colorectal, breast, stomach, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers. Indeed, some of these cancers also carry mutations in the PI3K signaling pathway.
"However, the use of aspirin for the primary prevention of colorectal cancer in the general population is not yet on the agenda and must take into account other known risk factors in patients " warns Pierre Michel.
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